Denis Miller and his wife were spared the worst of Friday’s traffic nightmare after the lower deck of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was closed, but they got a good long look at it.
The Millers were traveling on westbound Highway 37 when they witnessed some of the worst congestion of their lives as motorists headed east along the two-lane highway trying to claw their way around the closure to get to the East Bay.
“People were just standing outside their cars,” said Miller, who described San Rafael as “gridlocked” upon arrival. “It was nothing like we’d ever seen before.”
The nearly 17-hour closure of the critical link between the north and east bays wreaked havoc on a hot summer getaway Friday in the Bay Area, causing 20- to 30-minute trips to turn into four-hour-plus ordeals.
The scene unfolded around 11:40 a.m., when a man climbed from the bicycle path over the upper deck railing and used support beams to descend to the lower deck. There, he ran in front of vehicles “in an attempt to get hit” before climbing down to the lower support beams and threatening to jump from the span, according to a California Highway Patrol statement.
A crisis negotiation team talked with the man, who requested help early Saturday. Firefighters from Southern Marin Fire Protection District hoisted the man to safety at 6:50 a.m. He was taken to a Marin County hospital for a medical evaluation and treatment of minor injuries. The bridge reopened just after 7 a.m.
It was not known on Monday whether police would seek charges.
The incident has prompted questions about whether such a lengthy and complete shutdown was necessary and how information was communicated about the closure and alternate routes.
California Highway Patrol officials said Monday there was no way to safely open the lower deck due to the space on the bridge and the safety of first responders and motorists. The bridge has no shoulder or sidewalk, which made it difficult to allow traffic through, CHP Officer Eduardo Villasenor said.
“There’s no real way to keep a lane open while also safely negotiating with someone on that bridge,” Villasenor said.
The agency said it does not use Nixle and was not clear on why the regional alert system is not employed. Changeable messaging signs — the digital billboards on highways — were used to advise motorists that the bridge was closed and to seek alternative routes, the CHP said. Authorities also used social media to encourage motorists to check the traffic website 511.org to plan a route.
Villasenor acknowledged that weekend travel complicated that task.
“Friday traffic makes it difficult,” he said. “There’s no best alternative route from that bridge.”
For help in crisis, dial 988, text “MARIN” to 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.